Top 5 TV Shows of 2016.

Honourable Mentions

Most Overrated

Westworld — I stopped after three episodes because it just didn't grab my attention enough beyond the visuals. Maybe I need to pick it up again though...

Biggest Bummer

Mr Robot — s2. It topped my list last year but this season was all over the place.

House of Cards — s3.

05.

05

Silicon Valley

Season 3

Mike Judge's show about the ups and downs of Silicon Valley is still hilarious three seasons in. Stephen Tobolowsky entered the fray this season with a great performance and the guys at Pied Piper continue to balance the borderlines of success only to have it all crumble hilariously (and tragically) underneath. They probably never will become the next Google but it's sure fun watching them try.

04

Togetherness

Season 2

It was bittersweet that HBO cancelled Togetherness after just two seasons. Just as the show was finding its footing and delivering wondrous moments of these characters lives, obviously the ratings just weren't there. Which is a shame. The Duplass brothers have always found sparks in the everyday and Togetherness is no exception. Luckily we got twenty episodes of joy and heartbreak from the Duplass brothers. I will especially miss the brilliant Melanie Lynskey in a great role.

03

The Night of

Season 1

Possibly one of the best first episodes I've ever seen for a series, The Night of was both a brilliant and frustrating crime drama that only HBO can deliver with this level of class. Frustrating in the sense that it never equals that first episode but still has all the hallmarks of an intelligent mystery for the remainder of the ten part series. Bill Camp and John Turturro both turn in very strong performances but it’s Riz Ahmed (Rogue One) as Naz, who really centres the show and questions us constantly.

02

Black Mirror

Season 3

Netflix bought the rights to Charlie Brookers Black Mirror and I'm so glad they did because season three is definitely the strongest season yet. It feels like the budgets have been upped too which only serves in the shows favour. The first episode 'Nosedive' jumps us straight into a future of social hell with a perfectly cast Bryce Dallas Howard. A fantastic season opener. But it was the third episode 'San Jupitero' where Black Mirror really excels. A beautifully executed, time-shifting episode that breaks up some of the bleakness of the rest of the fare.

01

Stranger Things

Season 1

Those kids, that score, Stranger Things was easily the biggest breakout hit of 2016 and with good cause. A huge love letter to the 80's, Stephen King, complete with pop culture references and even shots completely borrowed from your favourite 80's movies, Stranger Things is a nostalgics dream. Luckily at its heart are the fantastic kids who couldn't have been more perfectly cast. Without that central grounding, the show wouldn't have worked quite so well but it does so in spades. The show made me feel ten years old again, complete with a desire to grab a BMX and take a ride on a moonlit night.